Treasure Hunting in the Hall of the Deep-Sky King

The pentagonal figure of Cepheus, the King, stands above Polaris at nightfall in October.
"When my kids were younger they loved to listen to the iconic In the Hall of the Mountain King from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt. The music so perfectly captures Peer's desperate attempt to escape the mountain trolls and the troll king. But just when all seems hopeless, he's saved by the rays of the rising Sun and the sound of distant church bells, two things the beasts cannot bear. At nightfall in October, Cepheus, King of the Sky, looks down upon the chilling earth and tempts skywatchers with similar riches. None of us need fear his wrath — these treasures are free for the taking. I'm always amazed how much Cepheus has to offer, so much that I'm only going to describe a few of my favorites. ..."
Sky & Telescope

The Iris Nebula, named for the flower, is 1,300 light-years away and 6 light-years across. The massive, young star at center, HD 200775, illuminates a region of space rich in dust grains. Light reflected from the grains gives the nebula its blue color.